


heat wave

by ArtificialFlavorz



Category: Fruits Basket, Fruits Basket (Anime 2019)
Genre: F/M, Slow Burn, WIP, also hormonal, angsty teens are angsty, now rated m!, oneshots, probably some pwop in the future, thats all i got folks
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-24
Updated: 2020-04-16
Packaged: 2020-10-27 13:02:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,672
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20760791
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArtificialFlavorz/pseuds/ArtificialFlavorz
Summary: That summer night, she leaves her window open. // She is a physical manifestation of his guilty conscious.( a (soon-to-be) series of loosely-connected-one-shots safe to read for those who’ve never touched the manga )





	1. Curiosity Killed the Cat

**Author's Note:**

> I finally finished season 1 of the reboot and season 2 has been confirmed and let me say, I've regressed to who i was eight years ago and I have literally no regrets.  
I also kinda felt like, despite there being like a million incredible works in this category, we truly deserved some non-spoilery, good-old-fashioned, slow-burn, 2019-canon fics for my eighth grade OTP. So, I present to you, a (soon-to-be) series of loosely-connected-one-shots safe to read for those who’ve never touched the manga.  
Also, like, writing hormonal teenagers is just a really fun time, okay?

In early June, the town is hit by a heat weave. The air is thick and humid and lies over the landscape like a heavy blanket, slowly suffocating those trapped beneath it. Yuki and Shigure bring home a tower fan for the dining room, and Kyo takes to sleeping on the roof, preferring the dull heat of the night air to the stale, slowly-circulating kind in the house. It is, he supposes, one of the sparse benefits of the cat spirit-- he can sleep wherever, however fitful the rest may be. He truly does prefer a canopy of stars and the steel slats of the roof to his futon on the floor.  
That night he cannot sleep. He names all the constellations he knows, tracing their lines through the cloudless sky with the tip of his pointer finger, and when he runs out of those, he makes up a few of his own: the headless rat, beginning three stars south of the North star, bleeding into the milky way, the Pervert Dog, seated at the feet of the Hungry God, begging for the scraps of Orion’s Belt that slip from his celestial table. He snorts to himself. Shigure would hate to see his personal map of the heavens.  
\---  
That night, she leaves her window open. The box fan she has propped in the corner simply moves the air, thick and hot, like soup broth, in a way that keeps it from being stale but does not help the stuffiness of her bedroom. And so, that night, Tohru opens the window, so that the night air, still hot, but fresh, can mingle with the staleness of the otherwise-sealed room. It feels less claustrophobic that way-- almost comforting, the way her tent felt when she left the zipper cracked in the heat of summer so that she and Mom could breathe freely.  
Tohru returns from washing her face and closes the door to her room behind her, being sure to hear the _click_ of the lock before peeling off her dress. She hardly locks the door anymore, but with the heat, she cannot stand to wear even a nightgown to bed, and cannot imagine her own mortification should one of the Sohma boys, let alone Shigure, happen to see her in her underwear. _What if the house were to catch on fire, and I had to leave wearing nothing but what I have on now?_ The thought races through her head, and she can feel her cheeks turn hot. She folds the dress she has just removed neatly,placing it on her bedside stand, just in case. She can, she reasons, pull it over her head as she runs, saving both her life and her embarrassment.  
She climbs into her bed, the sheets still pulled taut to the mattress. Just the thought of being under the blankets causes sweat to bead along her hairline. The comforter beneath her, barely pink in the silvery moonlight of the open window, is cool beneath her damp skin, and she falls asleep with the warm breeze of the outside world tickling her face.  
\-----  
When Kyo can no longer remember what stars are free for his personal astronomy lesson, he stands, stretching towards the night sky, and slips down the ladder quietly, pausing when he notices the open shutters of Tohru’s window.  
In an uncharacteristic moment of panic, his mind flashes to Shigure’s references to forest perverts (though, he reflects, if there really are perverts in these woods, Shigure is probably their damn ringleader) and he has to resist the urge to barge into Tohru’s room and slam it closed himself.  
_ She’s probably just hot. _Still, he can’t help but peek in.  
He can almost hear Shigure’s teasing voice, _Now, Kyo, you know what curiosity can do to cats._  
Tohru is on her side, her long brown hair gathered in a tangled bun on top of her head, her lips parted softly as she breathes steadily in and out.  
In the moonlight, the peaches and cream of her complexion are an unrecognizable silver-white, and Kyo feels a hot blush burn his cheeks and the tips of his ears as he realizes she is in just her panties and a white cotton bra.  
He wants to tear his eyes away from her-- the sight of her like this, all exposed skin and gentle lines, causes a shameful knot in the pit of his stomach-- but he can’t bring himself to. His eyes trace the curve of her hips, the line of her shoulders perpendicular to the mattress, the gentle dip of her waist. When they reach her collarbone, his breath hitches.  
There, where the left side of her neck meets the top of her shoulder, are long, thick claw marks. In the light of the open window, she is a pale silver, and the scars are a blinding and obtrusive white, puckering where torn skin has knotted together in a desperate attempt to heal. Hist fists clench, short nails digging into his palm.  
The knot in his stomach untangles and becomes something worse, something so sickening and smothering that he is absolutely sure that if he continues to look at her he will not be able to breathe ever again. Instinctively, Kyo pulls the window shut, as if to create a barrier between himself and this physical manifestation of his guilty conscious, as if, when he cannot see her, she does not exist, as if this nauseating guilt can be contained by closed shutters as his true form is by a strand of beads.


	2. Canary

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There is something comfortingly familiar in the quiet moments before the house becomes alive with movement and noise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just like, domestic nonsense that goes absolutely nowhere as an exercise in conversation and characterization. Enjoy ~

It’s a typical Tuesday in mid-June-- the gentle summer wind whispers through the trees and, school being out of session (and Shigure being who he is), the majority of the house sleeps in, lingering in their respective rooms until the oppressive heat of the late morning forces them out of their beds. The exception is Tohru, who rises early to begin fixing breakfast and start on the day’s chores.  
She likes these mornings alone-- yes, she loves the consistency with which the Sohmas are inconsistent, the predictability of Yuki and Kyo’s arguments, the gentle wisdom of Shigure’s morning affirmations (‘Don’t forget to be on the lookout for wood perverts, Tohru’), but there is something comfortingly familiar in the quiet moments before the house becomes alive with movement and noise. She cracks an egg into the pan before her and listens to the satisfying _sizzle_ as the white begins to bubble.  
The moment of solitude lasts only as long as the first egg takes to cook.  
“You don’t haveta do that, y’know.”  
Tohru spins around, beaming, spatula in hand, “Good morning Kyo! How did you sleep?”  
He glowers at her, hair still messy with sleep, repeating, “You don’t have to do that.”  
“Do what, Kyo?” She finds herself genuinely confused-- is there something about the way she’s preparing the eggs he doesn't like? Would he prefer something else? Her cheeks turn hot as she realizes she’s served fried eggs at least once a week since Kagura told her of his affinity for them-- has she made him sick of his favorite food? A thick blanket of shame wraps itself over her shoulders.  
“That,” he gestures to the carton of eggs on the counter and the kettle on the stove, “Treat us like we’re children who can’t cook for themselves.”  
Tohru turns a darker shade of red, flustered and embarrassed that she has inadvertently chastised him, “Oh my goodness, I’m so sorry, I--”  
Kyo sighs, seeming to regret saying anything in the first place, “Whatever, it’s fine.” He leans against the counter, hands in his pockets, staring past her to the window over the sink.  
She turns back to the stove, unsure of what else to say. The kitchen is, once again, silent for a moment, save for the hiss of liquid hitting the hot pan as Tohru cracks another egg into it.  
“Do ya--” She turns back to face Kyo, who raises a hand to scratch awkwardly at his head, eyes fixed on the floor, “I mean, I can help. If ya want.” There is a rosy blush rising to his cheeks as he finishes the sentence.  
“Oh, yes please! Thank you so much, Kyo-kun!” She can’t help but be delighted by the offer.  
“Yeah, yeah. It’s just breakfast, don’t act so excited.”  
\------------  
If there’s one thing Kyo has noticed about Tohru it is that she talks a lot. He doesn’t really mind it-- her voice fills the spaces of his mind usually reserved for darker things, and the lilting joy with which she describes the minutia of her day, the weather, the tiny sprouts in the rat’s stupid garden, feels almost infectious-- as if standing next to her and steaming rice as she fries more eggs than anyone could possibly eat and just _listening_ can cure him of the self-loathing festering somewhere deep within his chest.  
When the rice is finished, he scoops it carefully into the bowls that Tohru has removed from the cabinet, aligned precisely on a black tray on the counter, pressing the top of each mound flat so the eggs she has so painstakingly prepared will balance perfectly on top, before picking up the tray and bringing it closer to her.  
_With her coordination, if these aren’t directly under her nose, half the eggs will end up on the floor._ Of course, if that happens, he could always just feed them to Yuki. He smiles to himself a little at the thought of that.  
“Kyo-kun, has anyone ever told you that you have a nice smile?”  
It catches him off-guard-- that’s her specialty, really:jabbering on about nothing and catching him off-guard. He can feel heat coloring the tips of his ears and a blush rising to his cheeks. “Ah- just - just hurry up and finish cooking before the food gets cold, would ya.”  
Tohru smiles up at him with that goofy grin of hers, saluting with the spatula gripped in her right hand. “Right away, Kyo-kun! Do you think the others are awake yet?”  
He _has_ to grin at that one. It doesn’t take a cat’s sense of smell to notice the pungent scent of cigarette smoke wafting through the cracks of the door separating the kitchen and dining area. “C’mon. Let me help you with the tray.”  
“No, no! I’ve got it!” She beams at him. “You go sit down! Thank you for all your help today!”  
_Has anyone ever told you that you have a nice smile?_  
_____  
“Good morning, Kyokinichi,” Shigure looks up at him, tapping his cigarette against the ashtray on the table as Kyo takes his place across from him, “Don’t you look like the cat that ate the canary today.” Yuki, seated at the end of the table, lets out a little snort of laughter.  
Kyo shakes his head in annoyance,ignoring Yuki all together. “Don’t you ever stop?”  
“Stop what?” Shigure feigns innocence, “It’s a very common expression, Kyo.”  
“You know what I--” His biting response it cut off by Tohru’s entrance, the tray of breakfast balanced carefully in her hands.  
“And if it isn’t the little songbird herself!” Shigure exclaims, Kyo burying his burning face in his hands, “What delicacies have you prepared for us today?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes I wrote over 800 words as an excuse for Shigure to make a bad pun. It’s what he would’ve wanted.


	3. Cat Nap

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Kyo is a typical teenage boy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yes you’re seeing a trend in chapter names and yes it will probably be like this forever and yes i know it’s cheesy just roll with it okay.  
also-- if you were wondering when this fic would start getting a lil smutty, it starts here and it's all gonna continue to go downhill.

The first time he dreams of her, she is laughing. He has curled up on the floor of his room, the sound of rain pitter-pattering against the roof outweighing whatever merits going about his day as normal held. He’s only just woken up and is already determined to drift back to sleep, his neck and head aching with the noise of falling water.  
She appears to him a white dress, her head tilted back slightly as she giggles at something he’s just said-- he wishes he could remember what it was that’s made her smile like that. He’d like to say it all the time. Her hair drifts along with the warm breeze, and he is tempted, however briefly, to reach out and run his fingers through it, to pull her close to him and breathe in her familiar, flowery scent.  
He awakens to a crash of thunder, on the cold floor of his room, his surroundings briefly illuminated by a bright white flash of lightning, mind quickly straying from the golden sunshine of Tohru’s smile to the damp solitude of a cat in an empty house.  
\--  
He begins to dream of her regularly. At first, it annoys him, the fact that he cannot get away from her, even when unconscious. Sometimes he just wants some damn privacy, some quiet, some semblance of solitude. She seems unwilling to lend it to him, following him into his dreams with that glowing smile of hers, giggling and calling him ‘Kyo-kun!’ in the way that’s only acceptable when she does it. The dreams leave him with a funny feeling in his chest-- something he is far too masculine to call ‘fluttery’, but rapid and warm nonetheless-- a feeling he finds inherently uncomfortable. It makes him want to both snap at her and wrap his arms around her, to hear the sound of her lilting laughter both constantly and never again. When she catches him glaring at her from across the breakfast table one morning, she asks him what’s wrong. He growls back a short ‘Nothing’ and looks away purposefully. It is only when she returns her attention to Yuki that he allows his eyes to slide back to her face. He does not want to miss her smile, even if it’s just in response to one of the Rat’s idiotic jokes.  
\--  
It is a hot night in July when he first dreams of her naked. It is, he reminds himself, as he stands before her shy, peaches-and-cream beauty, involuntary that he dream of her this way. It is not, he reflects later, as he frantically scrubs his bedsheets in the bathroom sink, involuntary that he reacted the way he did.  
She’d stood before him, the scars on her shoulder faded with the optimism of his subconscious, the dip where her hips met her waist the same as he remembered it, her breasts, her nipples -- neither of which he’d seen in actuality-- seemingly informed in shape and size by both the faint outline of her school uniform on rainy days and the search history of his personal computer. He’d reached out to them, running his thumbs over their oddly-symmetrical perfection over and over again, until Tohru knelt before him on both knees, looking up at him pleadingly, her cheeks a shade of pink he had not seen before, her lips pursed slightly open, and lets out a breathy, “Please”.  
\---  
She finds him hanging laundry outside, despite the already-glaring heat of the early morning. “Kyo-kun!” His ears grow hot when she calls his name, a throatier version of her voice echoing in his head. _Please_. “I could have washed that for you!”  
At that, his cheeks flush to a deep crimson. “It’s fine.” He manages, gruffly. _You’ve done enough_, something within him adds.


	4. Daybreak

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There is no sunrise in a cell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all are safe and healthy! The season is off to a beautiful start (episode two had my lil shipper heart all in a tizzy) but I know we’re headed in the direction of some serious angst. No pun this time, but hopefully that's an outlier.

As the days grow hot, Kyo finds himself rising earlier each morning. His sleep is fitful to begin with-- he shifts between his mattress on the floor and the house’s roof, only really preferring one over the other if the hot and humid summer air carries on it the heavy scent of thunderstorms-- and is often accompanied by dreams he cannot control. Nightmares, of course-- his mother’s voice, his father’s wraith, a dark and empty room with steel bars instead of walls-- but also much more pleasant dreams that bring with them a different, but equally alarming, discomfort.  
Most days he wakes before the dawn, heading to the side yard-- in bare feet and loose pants, preferring to be shirtless in the warm, damp stillness of the early morning, to train amongst the sleepy coos of morning doves and the gentle hum of barely-stirring cicadas. His master had brought along an old dummy from the storage rooms of the dojo, and though Kyo would prefer a moving, breathing sparring mate-- _if only that damn rat wasn’t so lazy_ \-- he spends the hour or so before the sky lightens sending it flying across the yard.  
It is a Monday-- or maybe a Tuesday, as the days of the break seem to run together in a golden-green haze of lilting laughter and clear blue skies-- and the first pinkish rays of dawn gather on the horizon. Kyo stops what he is doing to look up at them, head tilted back. Sweat trickles from his temple towards the back of his neck. It is a pretty color, he notes.  
Kyo turns towards the house and heads inside.  
\---  
Tohru awakes to the faint first colors of dawn, turning the white of the ceiling above her to a faint blush. Somewhere down the hall, she can hear the shower running. _Kyo,_ she thinks to herself. Probably already finished with the morning’s training session. He often comes into the kitchen as she cooks breakfast, hair wet and tousled post-shower, claiming to want to make sure she hasn’t burnt anything.  
The room is hot -- her skin is damp with sweat, and it sticks to the sheets below her as she swings her feet over the edge of her bed and stands, crossing the room quickly to check the lock on her door before pulling off the bra and panties she slept in the night before. She should shower too. Maybe after she’s done cooking breakfast-- it’s sure to be another two or so hours before Shigure is awake and ready to eat. She pulls a dress over ehr head

Somewhere outside the door, the sound of running water stops abruptly. _Kyo must be out of the shower,_ she pulls her hair back into a low ponytail swiftly, before unlocking the door, As she steps into the hallway, she can feel her cheeks turn a bright red.  
\---  
Kyo is naked. Well, not _naked_ naked, but certainly the nakedest she’s ever seen him (other than, she supposes later, cheeks hot with shame, the occasional accidental transformation).He has a towel wrapped around his waist, and hsi hair is sopping wet, dripping onto his bare chest. Her eyes follow a single drop down his shoulder and along the harsh lines of his body, resting on his abdomen for a millisecond before the rational part of her mind returns and she averts her gaze swiftly to the floor, making a swift and awkward bow. “Eep! Kyo, I’m so sorry! I didn’t know you were--” she can’t even finish her sentence, let alone bring her eyes to his to examine his expression.  
“It’s fine.” he pushes past her towards his room leaving her to stare at the small pool of water left behind on the floor. She hurries down the stairs, hoping that keeping her mind busy with something like steaming rice and ladling soup into bowls will make her forget the tiny rivulet of water that came to rest on the top of the V at the bottom of his torso.  
\---  
Laying on his back on his futon, still wrapped in the damp towel, Kyo smirks, Tohru's flushed face swimming in his mind's eye.  
He can’t help but think that her blush is the same color as the sunrise. She is the daybreak, a fleeting opportunity.  
The smirk on his lips fades, and he rolls onto his side. 

Something he’ll be missing someday soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, so this chapter wasn't nearly as horny as the last, and arguably a little sad, but don't worry-- the angsty, horny pining can only get more intense from here, folks!


	5. Tongue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Momiji builds a sand castle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’ve had the worst writing block for literally months and I’m trying so desperately to shake it off, so I figured -- maybe some fluffy nonsense to chase off the angst? Characterization and Conversation practice inbound!

The morning they are to go to the beach, Yuki wakes up with hay fever. He trudges downstairs, all watery eyes and stuffy nose, and takes a seat at the dining table as Tohru serves breakfast.   
“Thank you Msth Honda, thisth looksth deliciosth.” He manages his best smile as she slides a dish in front of him, sniffling slightly.  
“Well that’s disgusting.” Kyo notes, with his usual tact. “Don’t breathe on my food.”  
“Saysth the boy with cat germsth.”  
Tohru, having frozen in the middle of serving Shigure, springs into action. “Oh my goodness! Yuki! Are you sick? Do you have a fever? Go lie down! I’ll make you some tea, and some soup, and--”   
Shigure clears his throat, and she freezes up again. “It’s probably no more than just allergies. Hatori called last night, concerned about the pollen count-- he thought it may exacerbate your asthma. Why don’t you rest today while Tohru and Kyo go to the beach?”  
Tohru is once again struck by the frantic energy of seconds before, shaking her head enthusiastically, “No, no! I can stay here and take care of Yuki, it’s no trouble, we can go to the beach another time! I haven’t packed our lunch yet, anyways, and I--”  
“Nonsense, Tohru. Momiji has been counting down the days to this-- certainly you don’t want to leave him hanging?”  
“Well, no, of course not, but--”  
“Then it’s settled! I’ll stay here and play nurse, and Kyo can buy you lunch down at the shore. Now, chop, chop, Yuki! Off to bed!”   
“But I haven’t finished eating--”  
“I said chop chop!”  
\-------------  
Kyo insists on carrying everything himself-- onto and off of the train, he balances their large, multi-colored beach umbrella atop the small cooler filled with bottled water with both hands, Tohru’s beach bag thrown over his shoulder. The pink canvas material clashes brightly with his hair.  
Tohru selects a spot on the sand and he drops everything, rather unceremoniously, to the ground. She lays out the towels and Kyo struggles to anchor the umbrella in the soft white sand.  
Tohru brushes her hands against her sundress, loose sand catching in the cotton. “Should we look for Haru and Momiji?”  
“No need,” Kyo finishes wrestling with the umbrella and, either satisfied with his handiwork or simply done trying, flops onto one of the towels, hands behind his head, and closes his eyes.   
Sure enough, they appear mere seconds later--Momiji laden with brightly colored plastic buckets and Haru cradling a beach ball under one arm. Haru smirks down at Kyo. “Just like a cat in a sunbeam.”  
Kyo opens an eye, then closes it. “Nice of you to finally show up.”  
“We got here maybe two minutes after you did.” Haru tosses the beachball at Kyo. It bounces off his face, rolling to a stop a meter away. Kyo sits up abruptly.  
“What the hell was that about?!”  
Haru’s face remains flat. “A ‘hello’ would’ve been nice.”  
Momiji, ignoring the exchange, turns his attention to Tohru. “I brought these!” He beams, waving the buckets through the air, “So we can make sandcastles!”  
Tohru smiles. “That would be great, Momiji!”   
“Geez, Momiji.” Haru settles on the towel adjacent to Kyo, examining the sunscreen Tohru brought along, “Let her get settled first. Now come here, Hatori made me promise to make sure you actually wore this today. I don’t wanna get my ass kicked by a seahorse.”  
\-------------  
“Haru! That’s COLD!”  
\-------------  
“Tohru! Let’s go swimming!” Momiji’s pink swimsuit resembles something a man in the 1940s would wear. He’s pulled a pair of goggles over his eyes, creating an almost bug-eyed effect. Tohru can’t help but giggle a little.   
“Okay!”  
“Haru, do you want to swim with us?” Momiji leans down to his cousin, whose attention seems to be focused on a game of beach volleyball between a group of college girls several meters away.  
“No.”  
“Then it’s just you and me, Tohru!” Momiji grins, “Since kitties don’t swim.” Kyo holds up a middle finger, but doesn’t argue. “Do you have your swimsuit on?”  
“Yep! Right under here.” Tohru begins to pull her sundress over her head, but freezes, suddenly incredibly aware of her choice of swimwear. She knows, instinctually, that she shouldn’t feel so awkward about it. Most of the girls her age are wearing bikinis-- lounging on towels and splashing in the waves-- but she can’t shake the feeling that maybe she should have brought along her old class suit in place of the bikini Hana and Uo picked out for her. She can feel a blush rising to her cheeks. Momiji doesn’t seem to notice her hesitation, turning and sprinting towards the water.  
“Come on, Tohru! I’ll race you there!”  
Tohru pushes her anxiety aside, and removes the dress, running after Momiji.  
\--------  
They return from the water to grab the armful of sandcastle supplies. Momiji is babbling in delight, and Tohru’s cheeks seem a little pink, which Kyo chalks up to sunburn. _Just this morning she was insisting on taking care of Yuki, and she can’t even remember her own sunscreen?_ He grabs the bottle from beside Haru and passes it to her.  
“Here.” He gestures to her cheeks, “You’re looking a little…” He trails off, and she starts a little.  
“I forgot to put on sunscreen!” Her eyes grow a little wide with panic, and she begins to frantically apply the lotion to her face and arms. Kyo tries not to notice the way she looks in her swimsuit, the subtle gap that forms between her breasts and the cups of the bikini as she awkwardly fumbles with the bottle.   
He can’t help but wonder if it’s the suit she purchased on their unwilling shopping trip. _ Damn those friends of hers._  
Haru, next to Kyo, props himself up on his elbows, smirking at Tohru. “You know, if you need help applying, I’d be happy to help you.”  
Kyo can feel his muscles tense, and lands a hard punch against his cousin's arm. Haru glowers in response. Tohru, ever oblivious, beams, “Thank you! I just need help with my back and shoulders.  
The smirk returns to Haru’s face, “No problem-- how about you just lie down right here and--” before he can finish his sentence, Kyo grabs the suntan lotion out of Tohru’s hand and squeezes a good portion of it on his own, gingerly rubbing the coconut-scented cream into Tohru’s skin.  
“Th-thank you Kyo-kun.” She squeaks. He manages a gruff half-reply, grateful her back is to him and she cannot see just how red the tips of his ears are. He finishes applying and she stands, dashing back to Momiji, who has already started construction on his long-anticipated sandcastle. Kyo returns to his towel, ears still burning.  
“See, aren’t you glad you came to the beach today?” Haru turns his attention from Tohru’s retreating form to his cousin. Kyo does not answer, eyes still trained on Tohru as she laughs at something Momiji’s said. “Oh, c’mon now. What’s the matter? Cat got your tongue?”

\-------------  
They return to Shigure’s house sun-wearied. Yuki is asleep (_”Tori says he’s fine, Tohru. No need to be so worked up.”_) and a takeout order is arranged, rather haphazardly, on the dining table.  
“I made dinner!” Shigure beams. Kyo snorts, seating himself at the table and scooping a serving from the styrofoam container of rice. “How was the beach?”  
“Amazing!” Tohru beams as she sits down. “I finally got to use the present Hana and Uo got me!”  
“Ah, yes.” Shigure smiles innocently, “The bathing suit, yes? Shame I had to miss that. You’ll have to show it to me sometime.”  
\-----------  
Kyo cannot sleep that night. His brain can’t stop focusing on the feeling of Tohru’s skin beneath his fingers, soft despite the salty residue of seawater, her familiar smell mixing with the coconut scent of the lotion and the salty tang of the air.   
Not to mention that swimsuit. God, he loves that swimsuit. It’s easily the best purchase he’s unwillingly contributed to in his life (also, he stops to think for a moment, the only one). He’d watched her as she left the water and came towards him, before she’d gotten close enough for him to notice the pink of her cheeks. He couldn’t help but notice the way the wet fabric puckered against her skin. He can’t help but think about it now, as sleep refuses to come.  
Jeez, he feels like such a dirtbag, like maybe he’s been spending too much time around Haru or, God forbid, Shigure.  
_ See, aren’t you glad you came to the beach today? _ Yeah. Now shut up.


End file.
